White Fire
by tisanaccount13
Summary: Takes place after The Boiling Rock. The story of Kimi, the daughter of a firebender and airbender. Has Zutata, a little Soki, and maybe a some Taang later on. Rated T to be be safe mostly for violence .
1. Chapter 1: Fire and Air

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last Airbender nor will I ever.

Chapter 1: Fire and Air

"What do you think you're doing?" came Katara's angry voice from behind Zuko.

"I'm meditating." He replied without moving.

"Well, stop meditating and help me clean up! These dishes aren't going to clean themselves you know!" Zuko sighed. There was no use arguing with her when she got like this and she always got like this whenever he was around.

"Do you think Sugar Queen is ever going to give Sparky a break?" asked Toph.

"Not likely, my sister can hold a grudge for a pretty long time," said Sokka. "but I thought that she would lay off a little after he helped free Suki and Dad from the Boiling Rock."

"Apparently not, speaking of which, where are your father and that other guy you brought back."

"I don't know. Hey, Suki!" Suki had just entered the circular space in the Western Air Temple. Sokka ran over to his girlfriend leaving Toph alone.

"Humph. I guess I'll go find Aang then." She got up stretched and began to wander the abandoned air temple.

This was a normal day in the air temple, where everyone pretended that everything was okay and that they didn't have to fight for their lives very soon.

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Why do things happen? Is life like dice that are thrown, never knowing what might come up? Or is everything already laid out just waiting for us to travel our predetermined path? Some people believe in destiny or fate. It makes them feel like there is some kind of stability in this crazy world. I personally believe you determine your own destiny. You may get handed the opportunity, but it is really up to you to decide whether to take it or not. Of course there are certain circumstances out of our control.

I sat on my bed staring at the last rays of the sun disappearing behind the city. I knew what I had to do, but that didn't make me any less afraid. I knew I had to leave soon but I couldn't help thinking about all the events that led to this point in my life.

After the firebenders chased the air nomads out of their temples, they regrouped underground. My people were the descendents of those surviving air nomads. Because we had little supplies, things like the birth of a child were always a risk. If the birth of a single child was a risk, so it can be assumed that twins were very dangerous indeed. Before my birth there had only been one other instance where twins had been born. When the twins were born their mother had not survived.

Fortunately my sister's and my birth went more smoothly. Everyone was suppressed and relieved. My mom named us Mimi and Kimi. We weren't identical twins. In fact we looked completely different. My sister, Mimi, had dark brown hair and gray eyes like our mother. I on the other hand had gold eyes like our father and my hair was a color nobody had ever seen. It was about the color of wet straw. I was also always noticeably taller than Mimi.

Our birth may have gone well, but that didn't mean we were healthy. My eyesight had always been fuzzy and the older I got, the worse it became. My eyesight, however, was nothing compared to my sister's condition. They said she had low blood sugar; if she didn't get enough protein than she would pass out. At first the air nomads tried to satisfy this disease without having to kill any innocent animals, but we soon discovered she couldn't survive without meat.

Another major difference between my sister and me was she was an airbender like mom, but I was a firebender like my father. It was very unusual for an airbender and a firebender to have children. Mostly because firebenders thought the air nomads were extinct. There was also the fact that most airbenders hated firebenders. We were told stories since we were young about how the wicked firebenders had tried to destroy our race; about how they had killed many of our ancestors and forced us into hiding. I was always told that my father was a horrible person and that he had seduced my mother. My mother told me a different story. She told me about how she had fallen in love with my dad.

Mom used to go to the entrance of the air nomads' hideout and stare at the boulder blocking the entrance to the outside world. She longed to be free, to see the sun and to feel the wind against her face.

One day as she stared at the boulder imagining how wonderful it would be if she could push it aside and step into the sun, the boulder actually moved. She jumped to her feet as she saw a man around her age pushing it aside. Then the man turned and looked at her she was terrified. His gold eyes stared back at her with surprise; apparently he hadn't been expecting to find anyone in this cave. He was dripping wet. Outside, my mother realized it was raining, something she had heard about but never actually seen. The man entered the cave and began to talk to my mom. He explained that he was an explorer and that he was trying to get out of the rain. My mom didn't know what she should or shouldn't tell this stranger. She ended up lying and saying that she was trying to get out of the rain as well.

That night my mom had to stay up at the entrance. She couldn't risk going deeper underground where the rest of the air nomads were hiding. The next day my mom spent with the stranger. For the first time, she experienced what the outside was like. She learned a lot about him. His name was Kitsuen and the more she got to know him the more my mom realized that he wasn't like the firebenders she was told about. Eventually my mom started to tell him about herself.

Every day she would sneak out to meet him. He told her about the outside world. She loved spending time with him, and soon they fell in love. Their happiness didn't last long. Soon the other air nomads found out. They kept my mother under constant watch and she never saw my father again. It wasn't until later when they realized she was pregnant.

The other air nomads wanted to get rid of me ever since they realized I was a firebender, like my father. Of course my mom wouldn't let them take me, but because everyone was taught to hate firebenders I couldn't make friends. The only people who accepted me were my mom and sister. That was just fine with me.

One day, when I was seven, I asked mom if she wanted help cooking the fish that we had received for Mimi. Mom showed me how to skewer the fish, how to place them over the fire, and how to turn them so that all sides could get cooked. She was having trouble keeping the fire going so I helped her. I was determined to show the other air benders that fire wasn't just destruction; it could be more than that.

I started to make the fire hotter so that the fish would be done soon. I wanted to show my mom how helpful I could be. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. I lost control of the fire. The fire turned white for two seconds and then exploded. After that time seemed to speed up. I saw my mom lying on the floor, badly burned. Some of the older air nomads rushed over to see what had happened. The doctor was there and started to treat my mom's burns at once. Throughout this ordeal all I could do was sit there dumbfounded while I tried to take in everything that was happening.

When the doctor was finally done with her, I ran to my mom.

"I'm so sorry!" I said over and over again. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry" Tears ran down my face. My sister was there as well, but all I could do was cry and think that the air nomads were right. Fire was nothing but destruction. I was nothing but a monster. I heard my mother trying to reassure me, to tell me it wasn't my fault, but it was.

The next few days went by uneventfully. The other nomads brought us food and the doctor came by every day to check on mom. My mom and Mimi didn't blame me but everyone else seemed to, even me.

On the fourth day after the incident, mom died. I remember the moment when I realized that she wouldn't be coming back. She would never smile or tell me everything would be alright. That night I cried harder then I had ever cried in my life. I never thought that my life could get any worse, but I was wrong. Everything went down hill from there.

The next day some of the elders came to where Mimi and I were sleeping. They grabbed me by my arms and said that I was a demon, a monster, and many other things. I couldn't really hear what they said. I was still upset about mom's death. Before I knew it I was out of our underground hideout. When they pushed the boulder back in front of the entrance to our underground home, it finally hit me; I would never go back. This must be punishment for what I had done to my mother. My eyes filled up with tears again. I curled up into a ball and cried.

A/N: There are no blond people in the Avatar universe. Have you ever noticed? I think everyone has either brown or black hair. In case anyone wants to know Kimi means egg yolk, Mimi means ear and Kitsuen means smoking. (In Japanese) The names aren't significant to the characters personality; I just liked them.


	2. Chapter 2: A New Start

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the last Airbender.

Ch 2: A New Start

It was breakfast time in the Western Air Temple and its occupants were sitting in a silent circle. Each one knowing what had to be said, but not one of them willing to bring it up. The silence was finally broken by Hakota.

"So, I understand that your plan so far is for Aang to master all four elements and then to face the Fire Lord. This plan is good in theory, but there are a few problems, like how are you going to reach the Fire Lord? He has many guards and he has control over a very powerful army."

Everyone looked at each other nervously. None of them had thought about how to get to the Fire Lord. They had all been to busy training Aang that they hadn't thought about what to do once he had mastered the elements.

"I may be able to help." said Zuko. "I lived in the palace and know where everything is. I can tell you the places with less security. That way we could get in easier, but I don't know if they've changed things since I left."

"It's worth a shot though," Sokka interjected

"Okay Zuko tell us everything you know about the palace." Hokota said.

The ex-prince of the fire nation opened his mouth and began.

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My body shook as more and more tears pored from my eyes. _Why? Why did mom have to go? It was all my fault I thought I could control the fire, but I guess the elders were right. I am nothing but a monster. _These thoughts kept running though my head. I thought that I would never stop crying. My heart felt like it had been ripped in two.

I don't know how long I stayed like that, curled up in a shaking ball, but eventually my sobs turned into whimpers as I ran out of tears to shed. Soon the light began to fade as the sun went down, and I eventually cried myself to sleep.

The next morning I was woken by a hand on my shoulder. A women with fair skin and black hair, was looking down at me.

"Oh, I see you're awake." She said in a sweet voice. "What are you doing here all alone?" I had no idea what to say. I wasn't expecting to see anyone here. I thought that the Airbender's hideout was far away from civilization. I blinked at the, clearly Fire Nation, woman. "Are you lost?" She continued to speak to me. "Where is your home?"

"M-My h-home," I stammered. The thought brought new tears to my eyes. I realized I would never be able to go back there. Not only had I lost my mom I also had lost my home. Silent tears dripped from my already red eyes.

Her pleasant smile was soon replaced by a face of concern. "Are you okay?" I shook my head and a few tears flew from my cheeks. Of course I wasn't okay. I had lost everything, but this strange woman didn't know anything about that. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see her beautiful face anymore. I just wanted to be alone.

A hand rested on my shoulder for the second time that day. I opened my eyes and I saw the same woman standing in front of me.

"Come on, honey," she said, "come home with me, I'll get you some food. You must be hungry." I let the strange woman help me up and led me out of the forest and into a small town. I wondered if the Airbenders realized that they were living so close to civilization.

She pulled me through the town. It seemed like everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the weird little girl being dragged through town. I could see why. They all looked somewhat similar, pail skin, dark hair. I saw no one with hair as light as mine and nether did they apparently. I hid my face not wanting to look at all those eyes.

Eventually we arrived at a house. It looked small but inviting. The woman led me into the house and then to the kitchen.

"You can stay here if you like until we find your parents. Does that sound okay?" I nodded. She made me some food and let me sleep in the guest room. I laid down on the mattress. I was too tired and depressed to enjoy my first night not sleeping on the ground.

I took a small bracelet out of my pocket. It had been a present from Mimi on my last birthday. I held it to my chest and curled into a ball. Without bothering to pull up the covers I closed my eyes. Will there ever be a day that I won't cry myself to sleep?

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The next morning, I stumbled into the kitchen. The woman I had met the day before was making breakfast with a kid who looked about two, clinging to her leg.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?" she asked. "Today we can go look for your family. How does that sound dear?" I shook my head.

"My mom is gone," I said in a whisper staring at the floor, "and nobody is looking for me." I heard her gasp and a minute later I felt her hand on my shoulder again.

"Then you'll just have to stay here, okay? We'll be your new family." I looked up at her kind face and nodded.

I lived with them from then on. The women's name was Kiseru. Her husband, Mizo, was very nice, and her daughter, Sekitsui, was 5 and a half years younger then me, and her husband Mizo was very nice. Before I knew it I had settled down in my new life. I was enrolled in a new school which taught firebendeing, among other things. Life got easier as I advanced quickly in the firebending classes. I got used to people gawking and making fun of my odd hair color and the town got used to me. I didn't have many friends, outside of my adopted family but that was okay.

Years passed and I no longer cried at night. Sekitsui started the same school as me, and although she wasn't a firebender she made friends really quickly. I worked on my bending constantly. I didn't want to lose control again and have someone else experience what my mother went through. By the time I was 10 I could create blue fire and I was placed in the most advanced firebending class.

I never told anyone where I had come from. The Air Nomads wouldn't be happy if I had blown their secret. All my family knew about me was that my mom was dead and my name was Kimi. I kept the bracelet Mimi had given me tied around my ankle and although I missed her I got used to never seeing my real sister again.

My life was going well and I was happy. However, everything went downhill when I was visited by an unexpected visitor.

I was 11 years old on that fateful day. I was in firebending class practicing some forms while the teacher talked to a kid much older than me about the proper stance. I finished my routine and tock a deep breath and wiped away some sweat that had formed on my brow when I heard the sound of a pair of hands clapping. I turned around and out of the shadows stepped the princess of the Fire Nation, Azula, and her two bodyguards.

"Impressive," she said. "We could use someone like you in the army. How would you like to serve your country?"

A/N: Oh snap! Sorry it took so long to finish this. My life has been very busy. Every time I sit down to write this I have to go do something else. Hope you like it. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3: Blood and Deception

Disclaimer: Avatar the Last Airbender do not own I. (Wait what?)

Chapter 3: Blood and Deception

A few sparks came off the rock Sokka was using to sharpen his sword. By him Suki was busy practicing her forms and Hakoda was talking to the man whom Sokka and Zuko had brought back from the Boiling rock. Toph was training Aang as Haru watched. Teo was making some improvements to his wheel chair and The Duke watched with wide eyed fascination.

Zuko looked around the temple. Everyone was working on improving and getting ready for an all out fight. They had finally come up with a plan. The small group of rebels would sneak into the palace at night avoiding all the most guarded areas until they reached Ozi's room. But first they had to hone their skills so they could be absolutely ready for anything.

They all knew that the chance of coming out on top was slim. They were going up against the most powerful army in the world with only eleven people. However they couldn't just sit back and allow the Fire Lord to destroy everything.

Zuko sighed. Then he noticed something. _Where was Katara?_ He wondered. _She probably doesn't want me to look for her._ His face screwed up in pain_. Why do I care what she thinks of me? _He stood up. _Nevertheless her miss trust might be a problem. _

Zuko walked off in search of the young waterbender.

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I won't lie, life in the palace started out great. Ozi had been watching all the advanced firebending classes looking for people who would make good soldiers one day. Because I was around her age Ozi had sent Azula to bring me in.

My family and I were invited to live in the palace and I was sent to the most advanced, and expensive, firebending school there was. My sister made friends with one of Noble's children rather quickly. They liked to explore the palace together. I received corrective lenses for my poor eyesight and life was going pretty well.

Azula and I became good friends. Since I was about two years older than her I taught her some of the things we learned in the older class. Two of the Noble's daughters, Mai and Ty Lee, became good friends with Azula and me. Because Mai and Ty Lee weren't firebenders they went to a different school, but the four of us still always found every chance we could to hang out.

Azula started out fine, but over the years I noticed a change in her. I ignored it because I wanted to see the best in people. Her brother, however, seemed to see the evil brewing inside his young sister. Her mom seemed to be trying to see the best in her, like me. If we could only see what this innocent little girl would become.

My thirteenth birthday was extravagant. The decorations were great and they served all my favorite dishes. All without meat; I still stuck to the Nomads beliefs of not wasting life. There were so many people there; including many I didn't know. Azula, Ty Lee, Mai, I had a great time just like at all our past birthday parties. That day was one of the best days of my life. Unfortunately, the next day would turn out to be one of my worst.

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Thirteen. I was now officially a teenager. I wonder why people think a certain age suddenly makes you more mature. Whatever the reason I was now old enough to learn my purpose.

After breakfast Azula asked to talk to me alone. Her expression was odd. Now that I think back she seemed to have an evil glint in her eyes. A glint that had been forming for some time but I had failed to notice.

"There's a man in a town very close to the palace that threatens the stability of the Fire Nation." That's how Azula started it, her little speech. I wonder if she believed it herself. I had no idea what she was talking about. So I asked. I really wish I hadn't asked. I don't know if it would have made any difference, but I still regret forming the question because of the explanation.

Azula told me she wanted me to _take care _of the man in question. My superior firebending skills made me perfect for the job. This was the reason I had been invited to stay in the palace. I argued at first because I still felt like I had a choice. I said I would help the Fire Nation arrest this man, but I didn't want to kill anyone. She said that if I didn't do the job I was assigned then I was of no use to her and I had to leave the Fire Nation.

Then she said something that I will never forget. "When you leave the palace we will no longer protect you or you family." It was a threat and I recognized it. If I didn't do what she said she would hurt my family. I thought about how kind they had been to me. They had taken me in, knowing nothing about me except I needed a home. They were my family in every way except blood.

I looked into Azula's eyes and for the first time I didn't see my friend. I saw the princess of the Fire Nation. A nation that the air nomads had warned me was fuelled by murder and greed. I fell to my knees and bowed my head.

"Yes, princess," I said. "I will do as you wish."

"Good," spoke the princess of the Fire Nation. Her voice was colder than I had ever heard it. "You leave at sunset."

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When I entered my room I found a pile of new clothes lying on my bed. The red and black shirt and black pants seemed to mock me as they sat in my familiar room. Pairs of red and black boots and gloves were next to the pile. I changed with a numb feeling of dread. At the bottom of the pile I found a small red pendent for my hair. It was a flame, the symbol of destruction and of my nation.

I pinned the pendent in my ponytail and sat on my bed. My room that was once so inviting now felt cold and empty. It felt like a lavish prison cell. My window seemed like a peep hole to a better world that I was no longer a part of. Everything that I thought I knew seemed to be crashing down around me.

I hid my head in my hands. My body shook with grief as tears dripped through the cracks in my fingers. I stayed there in my bedroom and prison cell until sunset.

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I walked towards the town Azula had mentioned. She had given me a detailed description of where the man's house was as well as a portrait of him which was now in the pocket of my new pants. When I reached the town the colors of the sunset had diapered behind the nearby mountains. Cloaked with darkness I slunk through the streets. They were nearly deserted but I avoided the few people I saw.

I arrived at the house Azula had described. It was small and slightly run down. It looked like a family lived there. I snuck around the back and peered into an open window. My heart skipped a beat at the sight that awaited me. I saw the man in the portrait sitting on a chair and reading to a little girl.

She looked about five and was dressed in pajamas. She was obviously getting ready for bead. I slumped against the wall. He had a family just like me. What would happen to that little girl when her father turned up dead?

I peered in again. The little girl was looking at her father with admiration. Her eyes sparkled as she tried to stay awake. It was obvious that she loved her father. I felt a stab to my heart, but then I thought of my own family. I looked back in the window. I watched them finish the story. Then the girl left the room and I entered.


	4. Chapter 4: Plastic Smile

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 4: Plastic Smile

After staying at the Western Air Temple for a while Zuko became used to the twists and turns of the hall ways. He knew where almost everything was and had very few surprises. The ex-prince made his way to Katara's room with a sense of foreboding.

When he reached her room he stopped outside the closed door and sighed. He wasn't in the mood for another accusation from her. He wondered if she would ever understand how much he regretted what he had done. However if they were going to defeat the Fire Lord they would all need to trust each other.

Before he could knock on Katara's door he heard something that made him drop his fist. _Was she crying? _He slowly eased open the door to see Katara hunched over on the edge of her bed crying into her hands. He had seen her cry once before and just like back then he felt compelled to say something comforting. Unfortunately all he could think of was.

"Why are you crying?"

Her body went rigid at the sound of his voice and she looked up at Zuko with angry, tear stained eyes.

"Like you care." She pushed the words through her clenched teeth before turning her back to the young firebender. This was obviously Zuko's cue to leave. Instead he took a deep breath and stood his ground.

"Look, I _do_ care, but no matter how many times I apologize you still treat me the same. I understand I betrayed you, but I'm trying to make things better and like it or not we won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord unless we all trust each other." Zuko needed all his self control not to shout this at the mistrusting waterbender. He thought he had done a fairly good job keeping his voice steady and reasoning, but Katara didn't seem to want to be reasonable.

"Listen to me Zuko," She growled as she turned to face him. "I will _never _trust you again."

With that she stormed out of her room leaving a disgruntled Zuko standing in her doorway.

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The sun's rays were barely over the hills when my eyes slid open. Lying on my side I watched the sun rise through puffy eyes. Like most firebenders I rise with the sun.

I had slept badly that night. Nightmares haunted my sleep and, like many nights to come, I had cried myself to sleep. I couldn't stop thinking about the man whose life I had destroyed as well as his happy family. When the sun had cloaked my room in light I eased myself out of bed and walked to my wardrobe.

I caught my reflection in the mirror and stared at my face. I looked horrible. My hair was a mess and my normally gold eyes were red and puffy. I sighed and quickly dressed then went to the restroom. I splashed water on my face and rhythmically brushed my hair. I was glad my glasses covered my puffy eyes rather well.

I pasted a fake smile on my face and turned around, ready to face what would be a very long day.

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After breakfast I went to speak to my parents. I thought that if I could convince them to move back to our old town than maybe they'd be safe. However I couldn't tell them the truth, because the guards seemed to be everywhere. I had to make it seem like I was home sick.

"Where did this come from Kimi?" my mother asked. "We've been here already for about two years! We've settled down quite nicely and your sister has made some great friends. This is probably just a faze. You'll get over it in no time."

"Did something happen Kimi? You get in a fight with a friend or something?" Dad asked.

"No, I just miss our old house and my old friends." That was stretching it. My parents looked confused. I didn't have any friends at home. I was always the town freak. It just shows how people react to something slightly different.

I sighed. I could tell I wouldn't get anywhere today. I'd have to think of another approach.

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My assignment last night wasn't my last one. Azula constantly asked me to _take care_ of people who threatened the nation. My nightmares got worse. They visited me every night now and I got very little sleep. After a while I stopped crying myself to sleep. I didn't think I had any more tears left.

I became very good at acting. The plastered smile became my mask. The servants and guards looked at me differently, almost fearfully. Rumors had a way of spreading quickly throughout the palace. They never seemed to reach my family however. This was a small miracle.

Zuko left the palace along with his uncle Iro. Azula told me he spoke against the Fire Lord during a war meeting. I caught a glimpse of him before he left. A bandage covered his left eye and his demeanor was angrier then before. I looked up at a portrait of Ozi. Was there nothing he wouldn't do for power?

Firebending became my escape. Practicing and emerging myself in improving kept my mind off what I had become. The years went by and bending increased rapidly as well as the intensity of my assignments. When I mastered bending lightning, Azula asked me to teach her as well. I wished I could _accidentally _loose control and… but I knew I couldn't so I begrudgingly helped Azula learn how to bend lightning.

Azula was annoyed that I was better than her, but she couldn't do anything about it so she just found more and more assignments for me. People say that air makes flames stronger. Being the daughter of a firebender and an airbender my bending was naturally enhanced. Of coarse I couldn't tell people that. I still kept the Air Nomads secret.

Zuko came back and then left again to join the avatar. I wished I had the freedom to join them as well. If I knew my parents were safe I would join them in a heart beat; anything to get rid of Ozi.

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My seventeenth birthday was coming up in a week. There was to be a big fancy party to commemorate the day of my birth. I sat on my bed making the flames on my open palms grow and shrink with my breathing. The sun had just risen and was flooding light through my opened window.

The sound of a quite rapping brought me back to consciousness. Who would want to see me this early? My assignments were usually at night. I opened the door and in its place stood an older but surprisingly fit looking man. His hair was mostly white with a little gray and was pulled up in a top knot. He had a short beard and glasses that were falling down his small nose.

"Hello Kimi," He said. My confusion must have showed on my face because he also added. "Don't you remember me?" I looked at his wrinkled face for a few minuets trying to find him in my memory, then I remembered.

A long time ago when I was twelve I had seen this man playing Pai Shō with Azula's and Zuko's uncle. I was intrested in the game and he had taught me how to play. When I turned thirteen I hadn't had any time to play anymore and I hadn't seen him since.

"Yeah, I remember. It's been so long. How are you?" There it was, my plastic smile fell into place with ease. He came in and I closed the door behind him.

"I have a present for you," He said. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a Pai Shō tile. On the tile was a picture of a white lotus. As he handed it to me he whispered, "I'm going to help you save your family."

A/N: Yay another chapter! Don't worry there is a reason why Katara was crying, I'm not just random. I'll try to update more. Please review!


	5. Chapter 5: Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender

Chapter 5: Escape

Sokka, Aang, and Toph stood around Sokka's bed while Katara sat on it. The four were in a heated discussion and very little could distract them.

"Are you serious Katara?! I thought you hated bloodbending!" Sokka shouted at his sister.

"Sokka, I thought about it and I realized that we don't stand a chance without it. I mean look at us! We only have about eleven people and the Fire Nation has a whole army! Don't you think it's hard for me? We need this," Katara stated wiping away a few tears from her eyes.

"Sugar Queen's right. Without bloodbending we'll loose. Even with it we may loose, but we have a _way_ better chance with it. Aren't you the one who is all about the mission and what not? This may be our only chance," Toph said placing a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"But, you. Her. Them. AHHHH! I guess your right, but that doesn't mean I like it. We'll use your plan if we can't think of anything else," Sokka said before marching out of the room. Toph shook her head before following the warrior, leaving Aang and Katara alone.

"Katara are you sure you're okay with this?" Aang said to his friend.

"I'm okay Aang. Don't worry about me. You need to be focusing on you firebending training." Katara followed Sokka and Toph out of the room and with a sigh Aang followed them.

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So, here I am sitting on my bed watching the sun set. My party must have just started because I could hear the faint sound of music below. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I told my family to wait for me on the second floor so that we'd go to the party together. The party would serve as a perfect distraction to get my family out of the palace without Azula finding out.

Exhaling, I stood up. It was now or never. I had dressed all in black from my boots to my gloves. I walked to my door, opened it, and pulled up my hood concealing my face and hair.

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The hallway felt darker and more treacherous then before. It feels like every corner is hiding a guard ready to attack. I constantly check behind my shoulder as I slink through the deserted palace. I ran into very few people whom I easily slid past.

As I descend the stairs the music grew louder and my heart rate increased. The party was on the main floor so I hoped I wouldn't meet anyone on my way. I crept down another corridor and peered around the corner. There were my parents and my sister waiting outside her room. They were all dressed for the party. They wore fancy dresses and robes. I hoped that if it came to it they would be able to run.

I clenched my fists and rounded the corner. They didn't see me until I was right beside them. My mom gasped. They probably mistook me for some sort of thief, but before I could tell them who I was I heard voices. A group of men, by the sound of it, were on their way towards us. I had to think fast. There would be questions if I was found like this and I might miss my chance to get my family out of the palace safely.

As quick as I could, I grabbed my sister who released a small cry. "If you want your daughter to stay alive you will do exactly as I say." I spoke in a deep voice to mask my tone and held a small flame to Sekitsui's neck. I told them to stay where they were and to tell the group that they'd be down to the party later, if they asked.

I took my sister into the room and placed my hand over her mouth because I could tell she was about to scream. I listened through the door as my parents told the group they were waiting for Sekitsui to get ready and they'd be down in a minute. Well this wasn't how I planned to get them out of the castle, but as long as it worked I hoped they'd forgive me.

When I couldn't hear the footsteps of the group of men anymore I took Sekitsui out of the room again.

"Okay, we did what you asked. Now give us back our baby!" My mom pleaded. I felt bad for how I was doing this, but this way I'd save a lot of time explaining so I just continued with my charade.

"Listen you'll get your daughter back, but not _just_ yet. Follow me." Well I always wanted to act. I just never thought I'd be in this situation.

My mom and dad followed my sister and me down the hall and through the servants stairway. Thankfully we didn't meet anyone on the way out of the palace.

Parked by the opened gates was a cargo carriage with the back opened. Our plan was to smuggle my family through the gates in this carriage. The old man who was helping me was in the driver's seat holding the reins of the two ostrich horses pulling the vehicle.

I made my parents enter the carriage ahead of me, but before I got in I looked over my shoulder to make sure nobody had seen us. What I saw made my heart sink. Azula had spotted us and was heading our way followed by about a dozen guards. I pushed my sister in the carriage and closed the door behind her firmly. The carriage took off down the road.

I created steam to hide the carriage's path and took a fighting stance. I would hold them off long enough for my family to get away safely. Azula's entourage stopped about five feet away from me. Red fire shot from the guards fists creating a wall of flame. I used my arms to separate a gap through the flames. With the same motion I threw my own blast. It hit one of the guards who had underestimated its strength and was throne back a few yards.

Fire began flying at me from all sides as guards attempted to surround me. I backed up as I attempted to stop all the blasts from hitting their mark when through the flames a blast of blue came strait at me. I only had enough time to throw my left arm in front of my face before Azula's fire scorched it. I was thrown backwards as my hood revealed my face. Azula and the guards paused as I sat up.

"Kimi?!" Azula gasped. Then she held up her arm to signal a stop as a smile crept on her face. "What are you doing here Kimi? I thought you'd be with your family at the party right now. They must be really upset with you right now. What are you doing Kimi?"

She had no idea that my parents weren't at the party but riding into hiding. She probably thought she could hold their lives over me still. I smiled.

"Sorry Azula," I said, "but my parents are far away from here. They are safe where you will _never _find them. You have nothing on me anymore." With that I jumped up and enveloped the area in steam. Under the cover of the steam I turned and ran through the gates of the palace.


	6. Chapter 6: Dirt and Decay

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 6: Dirt and Decay

The date was set. The next full moon was in two weeks and on that day the occupants of the western Air Temple would attack the Fire Lord's palace. Katara's ability to bloodbend made most of the participants a little less nervous about their chances to survive.

Katara herself had become more detached from the rest of the group. She often lost herself in thought and got distracted easily. It was obvious that she was upset with her decision to bloodbend again.

Zuko watched Katara rhythmically stirring a pot of stew for their dinner that night. He sighed. He had two options. He could either go over there, try to comfort her, and get yelled at for the umpteenth time or he could do nothing and continue to watch her sulk. He stood up and preparing himself for the worst made his way to the young waterbender.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked kneeling down next to Katara. She started and looked back at him with a surprised expression. He must have caught her off guard. That shocked look quickly disappeared however when she realized who was behind her.

"Doing what?" she said bitterly. "Making dinner?" she turned back to the pot as if disgusted by the very sight of Zuko's scarred face.

"Why are you forcing yourself to bloodbend when you so obviously hate it?" He tried to ignore her bitter tone.

"Well Zuko," she turned to face the firebender, "some people put other people's needs before their own. Some people actually care about the general public and the innocent lives that the Fire Nation is destroying." With a smirk she turned back to the boiling pot.

"What is your deal?!" Zuko stood up angrily. All his pent up anger rose to the surface as he started shouting at the waterbender. "I've been nothing but nice to you since I joined your group! I left my family and home to help you guys defeat my father and bring peace to this world! Sure I've done some things in the past, but that's just it! The past is the past! I can't turn back time!"

"Well I suggest you figure it out because that's the only way I will be able to forgive you." Katara bent some water onto the fire and began to serve the stew into separate bowls.

"Listen-" Zuko began before he was promptly cut off by,

"Guys?!" Toph's voice cut through the air and brought the rest of the residents of the Temple running to the place where Zuko and Katara had been arguing just a short time before. Toph entered shortly after to a chorus of questions like "What happened?" "What's wrong?" Her response was simply,

"Someone's coming."

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I ran as fast as I could and as far as I could. I entered a seemingly deserted village and stopped in an alley to catch my breath. I slid down the alley wall and dropped to the cold stone ground. My breath came out in gasps as I tried to think.

I had no idea where my family had been hidden. I just had to trust that they were safe and figure out what to do next. I looked at the arm that had been scorched by Azula's flames and grit my teeth. While I was running I hadn't been able to feel the pain because I had been too busy trying to get as far away from the palace as I could. Now however, the pain came back in full blast.

I clutched my arm to my chest and focused on steadying my breathing. I closed my eyes and thought. What should I do now? I was finally free from Azula but now what? Was I supposed to stay in hiding until the Fire Nation was defeated? At the rate that was going it would be for the rest of my life.

Then I remembered something. I remembered Azula talking about the Avatar and how he was currently hiding in the Western Air Temple. Hadn't Zuko gone to join the Avatar? If anyone had any hope of defeating the Fire Lord the Avatar did. Instead of hiding for the rest of my life wouldn't it be more beneficial to everyone if I helped to bring down the Fire Lord?

I stood up. All those times I had thought about the horrible things the Fire Nation had done and the things I had done for them. Now I had a chance to do something about it. I stepped out of the alley and began heading to my new destination, the Western Air Temple.

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It was a good thing I grew up as an air nomad. They taught us a lot about our lost temple, including where they are and how to find them. It took me about two days to reach the base of the Western Air Temple. I had traveled all day and had decided to wait until the morning to climb to the top. Another thing I had learned from the nomads was that there was a secluded stair way that led to the portion of the temple occupied by non-benders.

I closed my eyes and tried to block out the pain in my arm and stomach. I had found some fruits and nuts here and there but not enough to sustain my hunger. It was in situations like this when you realize just how much you eat. I always took food for granted, but now I realized you don't always get handed a plate of food. My stomach growled and I groaned.

After what seemed like forever I finally fell asleep and dreamed of food. The next morning I woke up hungry and stiff. The pain in my arm had gone down in my travels and had become an ever present throbbing.

I got up stretched and began looking for the entrance to the stairway. I tested the ground and sides at the base of the temple. As the sun rose over the mountains I searched for a hole or door of some type. I grew tired and leaned against the base to take a few deep breaths before I continued.

I heard a loud cracking sound as the vines and wall behind me gave way, and I found myself falling backwards. I landed in a pile of debris and pieces of vegetation that had grown on the temple in the many of years of abandonment. Coughing, I pushed myself up and looked around.

By the dim light coming in from the hole I had made I saw the other side of the cracked walls. They looked sturdier then I had expected after 100 years. It the center of the small, circular room was a set of stairs climbing steeply upward into darkness. They were cracked and a few were missing, but they too were in pretty good shape considering how long it had been since anyone had used them.

Taking a deep breath, I lit a small fire on my palm and began to ascend the long staircase ahead of me.

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The climb was long and hard. A few times I had to jump over holes in the stairway where stairs had fallen or broken down. I had to tread carefully so as not to loosen any more stairs. My path was often blocked by rocks or low hanging vines especially as I climbed higher. Dust swirled around my face making it hard to see or breath. I found myself coughing quite a bit.

After a long while I reached the top of the staircase which ended at a dirt wall. I brushed aside the thin layer of dirt which covered an old door. I heard the hinges snap easily as I pushed my shoulder against the old structure.

Dirt and dust fell from the doorway as the sun broke through into the stairway. I blinked in the sunlight and stepped out into the ground of the Western Air Temple right into the tip of the blade pointed at my chest.


	7. Chapter 7: Meetings and Reunions

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 7: Meetings and Reunions

I froze and raised my hands to try to show I didn't mean them any harm. They stood their ground however, and held their positions. The blade that was pointed straight at my chest was held by a water tribe boy. He had his hair tied back in a small ponytail and wore an angry expression like someone prepared for a fight. I searched my memory. His name had something to do with socks I think.

The rest of the Avatar's gang stood in a semicircle around me. They obviously knew I had been coming. Then I remembered something Azula had said before. She had talked about a young, blind earthbender who could see farther then seeing eyes could. That must have been her on the right of the watertribe boy.

Next to the blind girl was the watertribe boy's sister. She held spikes of ice in the air pointed at me. The Avatar was next to her, staff in hand which was also pointed my direction. A watertribe man stood next to him. He was obviously the father of the siblings and was clad in the uniform for the prisoners of the Boiling Rock. So the rumor of the breakout was true.

On the other side of the sock guy stood a girl also wearing the Boiling Rock uniform. Next to her was an earthbender with long hair and a moustache which looked odd together. Zuko was on his left and next to Zuko was another escapee from the Boiling Rock.

They all were in fighting stances ready to attack if I did anything dangerous. I figured I had better let them know that I hadn't come to hurt them sooner rather then later because that sword looked pretty sharp.

"Hi," I said as friendly as I could, "Look I'm not here to hurt you. Um, I come in peace?"

"Who are you?" the watertribe boy demanded not dropping his stance. "Why are you here?"

Before I could even open my mouth Zuko spoke up. "She's a skilled firebender and one of my family's personal assassins. She's probably here on my sister's orders." Well that was helpful. Thanks Zuko. Now it was going to be even harder to convince them I was on their side.

"I _was _an assassin," I said, "I left the Fire Nation because I didn't believe in what they were doing. The Fire Nation was holding my family hostage and unless I did what they said they'd kill me." It hurt to remember all that I had done for the Fire Nation. "I really want to help you overthrow Ozi. I don't think a man like him deserves the power he has. I want to help put a stop to the deaths of so many innocent people. Please, you have to believe me."

Everybody looked at the blind girl who relaxed her pose.

"She's telling the truth," she said. "I can feel how much she wants to help. There is no way she could have faked that kind of emotion." The rest of the group relaxed and the watertribe boy sheathed his sword.

"Well then, welcome aboard," he said. "My name is Sokka." He then proceeded to name the rest of the group members. There were two kids behind the circle that I hadn't seen before. One was in a wheel chair and the other one looked to be about six.

"So what's your name newbie?" the blind girl, Toph, asked.

"My name's Kimi," I said, "nice to meet you." At the sound of this Sokka doubled over and burst into laughter. We all looked at him in confusion.

"What's so funny?" his sister demanded. Through his laughter he was able to choke out, "Kimi, an assassin named Kimi!" Katara smacked her brother on the back of the head as everyone else shook their heads. "What? Have you ever heard of an assassin named Kimi? Come on! The combination is just plain funny!"

I chuckled into my hand. It was a small little chuckle but it felt great. I couldn't remember the last time I had smiled let alone laughed.

"Oh my gosh, what happened to your arm?!" Katara had just noticed my badly burned left arm hanging limply at my side.

"When I escaped from the palace, Azula caught me." That was all I had to say and the rest of the group understood immediately. Katara pulled out some water from a pouch she had on her back and rapped it around my sore arm. The water began to glow and the pain subsided. I had heard that certain waterbenders had the ability to heal but I had never seen a healer before.

"So how did you find us?" Sokka inquired while his sister worked on my arm.

"Azula knows where you guys are hiding. The only reason she hasn't done anything is because she knows you'll come back. She knows you guys will keep trying to overthrow the Fire Lord until your dead. She doesn't think there is any reason to waste energy hunting you down." My voice fell into my normal business like tone that I used whenever I discussed my work with Azula.

The group looked at each other. It was obvious they felt a false sense of safety in this temple. They probably felt they could hide here as long as they wanted.

"Then we have to leave here at once," Sokka said looking around at all the surrounding faces. Everyone nodded. "Gather your things. We leave tonight."

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That night we ate a quick dinner. It was great to have real food in my stomach again and even better to be able to use my arm. After Katara was done all that was left of my injury was a blotchy scar from my elbow to my wrist. The scar looked years old. No one would have guessed that I had received it about three days ago.

After dinner I climbed onto Appa along with Toph, Sokka, Suki, Katara, Zuko, and Aang. We also carried a small food bag. The rest of the group climbed into a stolen Fire Navy balloon along with all our cargo.

Because Aang could control clouds we had the advantage of disguise. Because of the circumstances we had decided to fly separately and meet up at Ember Island. Zuko's family owned a house up there and he assured us that that would be the last place Azula would look for them. After a long fight between Katara and Zuko about whether his word was credible we set off for Ember Island.

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The ride was long and uneventful. However it was my first time flying and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the feeling of the wind whipping through my hair. I felt so free in the sky. I guess it was the Air Nomad in me. A few of the other passengers didn't enjoy the ride however. It was clear that Toph and Zuko preferred having their feet firmly planted on the ground.

We arrived at Ember Island a few days later. The royal family's beach house was big and luxurious. The girls boarded on the second floor and the boys got the third. Everyone fell asleep right away. Whether it was because of the long flight or the soft beds I don't know. That night was the first night in a long time where I didn't have any nightmares.

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I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and recharged. As the sun rose I meditated, focusing on my inner flame. I went downstairs when I heard the majority of the people moving around. I found Katara in the kitchen preparing and serving breakfast to everyone except Sokka who apparently was still asleep. The royal family must have kept the pantry well stocked because Katara had found plenty of food and supplies to work with.

She tried to offer me some sausage which I politely turned down. In the end my plate ended up looking a lot like Aang's.

"Why aren't you eating any meat?" the young airbender asked.

"I was raised a vegetarian before I started working for Azula," I explained, "and I didn't stop when I moved to the palace."

"Really?! I thought the Air Nomads were the only ones who didn't eat meat!" The twelve year old seemed overly excited to meet a fellow vegetarian wich I thought was rather odd.

"So, who were your biological parents?" Zuko joined in our conversation clearly trying to get away from Katara who was boring holes in his head with her glare. "I've always wondered, but I never had the chance to ask."

I took a deep breath. Should I tell them? I had never told anybody where I came from before, but I felt I could trust them. They were working against the man who had condemned my people to living underground and maybe I'd give Aang a little hope. I knew he was probably upset about being the last airbender, but what if I told him that he wasn't?

"Okay, so you see my father was a traveling firebender. He met my mother while he was traveling. My mom was in hiding from the Fire Nation with the rest of her people, because the Fire Nation thinks they're dead. I couldn't tell anyone about them because I didn't want the Fire Nation to start looking for them. You see, my mom was an airbender."

"WHAT!!" Aang dropped his plate which clattered to the floor. "You mean I'm not the last one?!"

"No, the nomads that survived Sozan's attack have lived underground for a hundred years. They have decided to wait out this war and reappear when it is safe to do so."

"That's wonderful news Aang!" Katara said as she and Suki joined the conversation. It felt really good to bring joy to someone for once. All I had done before was administer pain and suffering to people and their families. I smiled at everyone's happy faces. This is why I was fighting; to bring joy to people who had suffered so long. It was time to stop living in fear of the Fire Nation and start enjoying life. If I could do that for all the people who had suffered in this war then maybe I could finally forgive myself for the things I had done.

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Later in the day I found myself in the beach house's court yard practicing. I had to keep myself strong and sharp. They had told me the plan and the date of our attack. I was surprised to hear about bloodbending, but I agreed that it helped our chances.

I moved through the firebending moves with ease seeing just how much force I could create. Footsteps behind me alerted myself to someone else's presence. When I looked behind me I saw Zuko approaching wearing nothing but his training pants. I raised my eyebrows at this but continued to practice.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked. I nodded and we practiced for a while in silence.

"How do you do it?" he asked after awhile.

"Do what?"

"Get her to trust you. No matter what I do she still treats me like the enemy, but she treats you just like anyone else. Why is that?" By the way he was talking and the behavior I had observed earlier today I assumed he meant Katara.

"Well she knows you. She fought you for so long that she is probably used to you as the enemy now. She never met me, and she doesn't know much about what I've done. It's easier to forgive someone you don't know that has done bad thing to people you don't know then it is to forgive someone who has done something to you personally."

"I guess that makes sense, but she did forgive me before. Back in Ba Sing Se before I joined Azula again. She even offered to heal my scar." Wow. I had no idea that that had happened. No wonder she hates his guts.

"Well there's your answer. She trusted you once and you turned your back on her. She feels hurt and stupid that she trusted you and she doesn't want to feel that way again. Sorry to tell you this but you messed up big time Zuko, and I don't know if you're ever going to be able to fix it."

We stopped practicing and he looked at me. Apparently what I said had hit a nerve. He looked upset and crestfallen. Sure what I said was harsh but it was true. He had to hear it from somewhere and I just happened to be here.

"Look, I'm sorry but if you really care about this girl you are going to have to work your but off to make it up to her. Maybe after the war she'll understand. I wish you luck."

What makes you think I care so much for her?" Zuko asked clearly mortified that I saw through him. The truth was we had grown up together and I could tell how much Katara meant to him.

Before I could say that however, something hit me hard in the chest. I toppled over banging my head sharply on the concrete. As I quickly got to my feet I saw figures coming at us from all sides. They had obviously snuck up on us while we had been talking. I couldn't believe I had been so stupid as to let my guard down.

Zuko and I took our stances and got ready to fight.

A/N: BUM BUM BUM!!!!!!! Wow this one came out longer then I expected. So Kimi has finally joined the gaang! Yay! The two parts are tied up now. Please review!


	8. Chapter 8: New Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 8: New Plan

An arrow flew towards me and I had to duck at the last second to prevent getting hit by it. Six of our attackers advanced on us, but two hung back. One of the two started loosing arrows, one right after another, at Zuko and me. The arrows accuracy was perfect and Zuko and I had to do a lot just to avoid them. Soon the two of us were on opposite sides of the courtyard.

This seemed to be what our attackers wanted because as soon as we were apart they broke off into two groups. Three of them came at me and three went for Zuko. I blasted a ball of blue flames at the nearest of my three attackers. She had short, dark brown hair and looked about my age. She carried a staff which she used to deflect my fire ball. The other two were younger and male.

I kicked, sending another fireball their way. The two boys dove out of the way, but the girl used her staff like a javelin to jumped over my fire ball. She came down at me with her staff which I caught in both hands. Using her momentum against her I sidestepped and hurled her and her staff to my right.

She skidded hard on the ground but regained her footing quickly. This time instead of charging she lifted her staff and sent a blast of air towards me. I summoned a wave of fire and pushed it towards the air. My quality of fire surprised even me as a wave of white flames flew at my attacker.

The flames hit the air creating an explosion that knocked me back a couple of feet. I didn't lose my footing but my hood, which I had kept on as an extra precaution flew off. Before I could think about what I had done I turned around grabbing the hand of one of the boys behind me. He had a dagger in his hand and had been bringing it down at my head before I had stopped him. I placed my foot on his chest and kicked him back several feet. I raised my fist towards the second boy whom had been about to throw a small bomb at me when I was interrupted.

"STOP!!!" A voice behind me made me freeze. The boy across from me lowered his hand and looked at the girl walking towards us. I knew I had heard that voice before. I turned wide eyed towards the brightly clothed girl approaching me and I finally figured it out.

"Kimi?!" Mimi flung her arms around my neck. "I can't believe I found you! I'm so sorry if I had known it was you I'd have never attacked. I- I missed you so much!" She started crying and I patted her back. A smile broke onto my face as I hugged my sister to me. I had never thought I would see her again. My heart began to beat with pure joy as Mimi cried into my shoulder.

When Mimi was done crying we broke apart. She was shorter then me, and dressed in the yellows and oranges of the Air Nomads. She dropped her staff by her feet as she wiped her gray eyes. I was so happy to see my sister that I had almost forgot about Zuko.

"Hey, a little help here!" I turned to see Zuko crouched on the ground bound with rope. Mimi turned to the three people surrounding him and told them to cut him free. Just like the group whom had attacked me there were two boys and a girl.

The boys looked a little older than me. They seemed about eighteen and looked exactly alike. They were also dressed in bright Air Nomad clothing with dark brown hair. They reminded me of the twins from back when I lived with the Air Nomads. Then I realized they probably were. They each held a sword and the one on the left leaned down and cut Zuko free with it.

"What's going on here?" Toph said entering the court yard followed by the rest of the group. Toph had obviously sensed intruders, our fight, and then random stop. They looked like they expected a fight but were surprised to see us talking normally.

"Hey Mimi," the girl who had helped attack Zuko bounced over to my sister and me. Her long brown hair was tied up in two pig tails and seemed to bounce with her as she hopped up and down in front of Mimi. She was wearing a childish green dress and looked about twelve or younger.

"I found this in that boys pocket. Can I keep it?" She held out a small red candy which was clearly Fire Nation.

"How'd you get that?" Zuko asked rummaging through his pockets. She had clearly taken it from him without his knowledge while he was tied up.

"Taz," my sister began taking on a slightly motherly voice, "it's his so you should ask him not me."

"Okay!" Taz bounded over to Zuko who still looked slightly confused. "Mister, can I _please _have this candy?"

"Um sure, I guess." Taz screeched with delight and popped the candy in her mouth then she ran between Toph and Sokka into the house. Everyone watched her go with confusion except for Mimi's group.

"Okay, seriously who are you guys and why are you here?" Toph asked. The two girls joined us in the courtyard. They were the two whom had held back during the fight. One girl held a bow and was obviously the archer whom had started the fight. She had short, strait black hair and was dressed in red and black. She seemed to be from some sort of nobility because of how she carried herself and the quality of her clothes.

The other girl had long brown hair that she wore down except for a head band that they all seemed to have in different colors. She was dressed in a lime green dress that barely covered her. She wore lots of make up and walked with a sort of swagger that made it look like she wanted attention.

As the two girls joined the rest of us Mimi began to explain. "We are the Tempest Troup. At first it was just me and Soku and Yaku," she gestured at the twins. "We were just trying to find my sister. After we saw what the Fire Nation had done to the world we felt we had to help. We started messing with their food supplies, their weapon shipments, and anything else we could do to weaken them."

"So you're like the Freedom Fighters but not insane?" Sokka asked, receiving an elbow in the ribs from his sister. "Ow, well it's true. She's like a female, mentally sound version of Jet."

"Well I don't know who the Freedom Fighters are, but I can assure you we're not insane." Mimi said with a slight note of humor in her voice.

"Well except for Taz," the girl in the lime green said.

"Taz isn't insane she's just…"

"Hyper?"

"Yeah, _very_ hyper," the twins said to themselves. The rest of us laughed in agreement.

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We told the Tempest Troup about our plan to attack the Fire Nation and they were immediately on board. As we sat in the kitchen the rest of Mimi's troop introduced themselves. I remembered the twins, Soku, and Yaku, from the Air Nomads hid out. They were eighteen, a year older then Mimi and me. They sat on Mimi's left and I sat on her right. I couldn't help but notice that one of the twins held Mimi's hand while we talked.

The boy who had almost thrown the bombs at me was sitting on the kitchen counter. His name was Ashi. He was fourteen and made weapons such as bombs. He was Taz's older brother and apparently preferred high places. Taz was twelve and relied mainly on hand to hand combat. She was very fast and flexible. She had set off on her own to explore the house because she didn't seem to be able to sit still.

The archer was named Hokori but everyone seemed to call her Kori. She was very quiet and kept mostly to herself. She was from the Fire Nation and was the daughter of one of the famous Yuu Yan archers.

The guy with the dagger was named Motenasu, Nasu for short. He fought with twin daggers and was also rather quiet. He was a childhood friend of the girl in the lime green dress. Her name was Yasashii, but was known as Yasa. She mixed herbs and plants to make different concoctions. Yasa also seemed to flirt with any guy that was around her age, making Suki rap her arm territorially around Sokka's.

"We're so sorry that we attacked you guys," Mimi apologized. "We saw firebending and we thought the worst. We probably should have realized that not all firebenders are working for the Fire Nation."

"That's okay Mimi," I replied. "In the end nobody really got hurt. Besides if you didn't attack us we probably wouldn't have ever seen each other again and now we have more people to fight the Fire Nation."

"Yeah," Sokka agreed, "the more the merrier. We are going to need all the help we can get."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that," I said. "Even with bloodbending and the Avatar State I don't think a full frontal assault is going to work. Azula already has shown that she can take down Aang in the Avatar State. What is to stop her from doing that to him again?"

"I agree," added Hokori, speaking for the first time. Her voice was low and monotone without much emotion, "it seems pretty desperate." She folded her arms across her chest, "and probably won't produce any results. Unless, of course, your goal is to get us all killed."

"I know the plan is pretty flimsy, but what else can we do?" Sokka cut in defensively. "We are running out of time. The Comet is coming quickly and most of our troops are imprisoned. What else can we do? Besides, my father and a few more people will be joining us soon. I don't know why they aren't here yet."

"It still seems desperate," Kori replied. "It's just like that Mai girl with the knives. She tried to take on way more then she could handle alone. Now she and her friend have been sent here to the Ember Island prison."

"Wait, Mai's here?" Zuko suddenly jumped into the conversation.

"Yeah, she and some circus performer have been transferred because Azula thought that her uncle might help them escape if they stayed at the Boiling Rock." Yasa cut in. Her voice was filled with way too much enthusiasm compared to what she was saying.

"She saved us from the Boiling Rock," Zuko said turning to Sokka, "do you think we could-"

"No." Sokka said before the firebender could finish. "I know what you're thinking Zuko. She helped us of her own free will, but we can't put our mission in jeopardy to get her out of jail."

Zuko sighed but didn't argue the point. However, I could see in his eyes that the issue was far from resolved. I spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Well speaking of prison I think I have an idea." All heads turned to me. "There is a prison right by the Fire Palace where a lot of war prisoners are imprisoned."

"Again, it's too dangerous to try to attack a prison, especially right by the palace," Sokka said. "Our energy would be better spent using the people we have to attack now before the Fire Nation can pick us off."

"Yeah, but what if we only make it look like the prison is our main goal?"

"Then what would be our main goal?" Ashi asked me leaning towards us from his position on the counter.

"The palace." Nasu said surprising everyone.

"Exactly," I said. "Some of us will attack the prison and free as many prisoners as possible drawing most of their soldiers there."

"While the rest of us attack the palace!" Sokka said finishing my train of thought.

"Well, they wouldn't be expecting it," stated the guy holding my sister's hand.

"And there would be less soldiers to get by," finished his twin excitedly. I still couldn't tell which one was which.

"You know, that might actually work," said Sokka scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"We'll distract them," said Mimi gesturing at her group. "That way, they won't be tipped off by some of you being there and some of you not."

"Good point," said Suki, "They know that we are together so they might get suspicious if they don't see all of us." The rest of us nodded. We all agreed that this was a better plan then just blindly attacking the palace.

"Well," Sokka said, "I'm going to go outside to see if there is any sign of my father's air balloon. The rest of our group should probably be here. I don't know what's taking so long."

Before he could leave however Taz burst into the room, "Wow guys, this house is _huge_!" She spread her arms out as if to demonstrate just how huge. She bounced over to Mimi and pulled her out of her chair. "Come on Mimi, come on! I want to show you how big it is! It's got like six bathrooms and the beds _really _big and…" Taz's voice was lost as she dragged Mimi up the stairs. Mimi had always been good with kids. They seemed to gravitate to her which is why I wasn't surprised that Taz had taken such a liking to her.

We all chuckled as Taz left the room. Her cheerfulness burst the serious nature in the room. It was nice to see that some youthfulness and innocence had been preserved in these troubled times.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The moon shone through the window creating a pool of light on the counter. I stood there in a dark corner of the kitchen watching the staircase. Sooner then I had expected I heard footsteps descending the stairs. They sounded three times as loud as they would normally be because they were the only sound in the sleeping house.

"Where do you think you're going?" I asked a startled Zuko as I stepped out of the corner.

"Oh, um," Zuko began, "it's really none of your business."

"Look Zuko, I know you. Mai and Ty Lee are me friends too. So, I'm going to help you get them out of prison." With that Mimi and the rest of her group stepped out of the shadows.

A/N: Okay so more names. Again I just went through my Japanese to English dictionary and picked things that sounded cool. The meanings of the names don't really have anything to do with the characters. So Yasashii = fond, Ashi = foot Motenasu = entertain, Yaku and Soku put together = engagement, Hokori = Dust, and again Mimi = ear.


	9. Chapter 9: Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 9: Rescue

Getting to the prison was pretty easy. There were very few people in the streets at this time of night. The only people we saw were three drunken men coming out of a nearby bar. They were leaning on each other and singing loudly and very off key. We snuck past them easily, but they were so wasted I doubted they would have noticed us even if we had walked right in front of them. The words to the painful and crude song faded into the night as we made our way closer to the prison.

The night air was cool and a light breeze seemed to whisper a quiet warning as we neared the prison. The prison was a little ways past the main town and surrounded by trees. Apparently the people whom had built the prison hadn't wanted to worry the occupants of Ember Island with a big, ugly, steel building that held "the enemy's of the peace", or just anyone who stood up to the tyrant they called the Fire Lord.

We hid behind the trees and watched the prison. I didn't see any guards from where we were, but Ashi climbed a nearby tree just to make sure. I wished we had Toph with us. She could tell us with the utmost certainty where the guards were and we would never be taken by surprise.

Ashi descended the tree branches with the agility of a monkey. He swung down onto a branch just over our heads to deliver his report.

"It was very hard to tell, but I did see four look out towers facing North, South, East, and West. The towers were dark, but I'm assuming that there is someone in each." Ashi continued to crouch on the tree branch after he was done talking.

"Ok, so how do we sneak into the prison without those guys in the look out tower spotting us?" Zuko said to the rest of us. I noticed that the Tempest Troup all turned to Mimi instinctually. A small crease appeared on her forehead as she furrowed her brows in thought. I smiled remembering all the times Mimi had made that same face back when we were kids.

"Ashi, do you still have any of those smoke bombs you made last week?" Mimi said turning to the kid in the tree. Ashi beamed and nodded pulling about eight small smoke bombs out of his pockets.

"Good," Mimi said. "Did you see any doors or any way to get in?" Ashi shook his head.

"But, I'll go look," he said and swung from tree to tree until he was out of sight. Energy and agility seemed to run in the family I thought looking at Taz who was crouched and rocking back and forth on her heels. Does that girl ever stop moving?

"Okay, so here's the plan," Mimi said as soon as Ashi had swung off.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Ashi had located three possible entrances. The front entrance was immediately ruled out because of the number of guards posted there. According to Ashi most of the guards were hidden but he had a good view from the top of the trees, and he seemed to have amazing eyesight.

The remaining entrances had fewer guards and were going to be a lot easer to get in. There was a back entrance and a small door on the left side that was well hidden. Even Ashi had almost missed it. It also had even fewer guards then the back entrance. We decided to go through the small concealed door because the guards were least likely to be expecting us.

The majority of our group moved silently through the trees into a position closer to the small door. Ashi, Yasa, Kori, and Nasu had broken away from our group and had positioned themselves each by one of the lookout towers. They each held one of Ashi's smock bombs. At the same time the four of them flung the bombs towards the towers with amazing force and accuracy.

The smoke embraced the towers as we quickly headed towards the hidden door. Ashi had told us where the four guards were hiding and we took them by surprise. The twins quickly knocked out one guard with the hilt of their swords. Taz wiped around another guard and left him tied and gagged in a matter of seconds. Mimi swung a gust of air at a third guard sending him crashing hard into the door. The door was forced open and the guard was out cold.

I took a different approach. With a slash of my arm, my newly found white fire tore through the fourth guards chest leaving him sprawled on the cold, stone ground. He twitched as blood gargled out of his mouth for a few seconds. Then his body stopped moving, and I knew deep inside myself that it would never move again. The rest of our group stared at me in horror.

"What?" I asked. Their stares were really unnerving. They all had a mix of shock and fear plastered on their faces.

"Did you just kill him?" Mimi looked at me like I had died and come back with horns.

"Yeah," I said. I used the back of my hand to wipe off the blood that had splashed on my face. Mimi continued to look at me in horror as she took a few steps back.

I tore my eyes from their horrified faces and headed through the open door. "Let's go," I said over my shoulder. "We don't have time to waste." I couldn't stand to see the looks of fear in their eyes, especially Mimi's. We had always been close and I had missed her the years we had been apart. The last thing I wanted was her to be scared of me.

My face was calm but my heart clenched painfully as I thought of my own sister being scared of me. I knew many people feared me already. The fact that I was an assassin was supposed to be a secret, but because of the way people acted around me I had a feeling more people knew then were supposed to. Of corse my parents were always oblivious to my "assignments". I could never decide if that was good or not.

I sighed. The others had followed me and were keeping quiet about what had happened, but I had a feeling that I would hear more about it when we got back to the vacation house.

The door led into a small narrow corridor which met with a larger hallway horizontal to it. I peered cautiously into the hallway. It was lit by a row of torches attached to both walls giving the corridor a reddish tint. No torches lit the short corridor from the door.

I could see that to the right the lit hallway soon gave way to a cafeteria of some sorts. These walls were also lined with torches. The empty tables were also bathed in the eerie red light of the torches. The cafeteria appeared to be where the guards ate and hung out when they weren't on duty. There were three dark doorways leading out of the cafeteria, but these didn't concern me. We were looking for the prisoners not the guards.

I turned left and quietly headed down the red hallway. I checked over my shoulder to see if the others were following me. They were, and I saw that Ashi, Yasa, Kori, and Nasu had also joined us. We crept down the hallway in a single file line. I've always had to be silent on my jobs, but it surprised me how quiet the rest of them were. It was then that I realized how quiet the prison was.

"Shouldn't the guards be sending out some kind of warning signal?" I whispered over my shoulder. "I mean those guys in the look out towers didn't see where we went, but they must have figured out that someone's trying to break in."

"Ashi's bombs were also laced with a sleeping powder." Mimi whispered back. She was the closest behind me and the only one who had heard my question. "They'll be out for a few hours."

I smiled. Mimi really had thought of everything.

"Ask Zuko if he knows anything about the layout of this prison." My request was quietly passed down the chain as we turned to the right and stopped in front of a strong but simple spiral staircase.

"He says he never had any reason to learn before," came my sister's reply. Great, I guess we're wondering blind. Not that I mean any offense to blind people. Toph was amazing even without her vision.

Without anything else to do we ascended the stairs keeping close to the center railing just in case someone happened to look down. The staircase was unlit so the climb was dark. However the light from the hallway down provided enough light to go by. There also was some light coming from up above which I assumed was from a hallway or room that the stairway led to.

As the light grew brighter I noticed a noise coming from where, I assumed, the light was radiating from. As we got even closer I realized the noise was the grumbling of a guard. The others seemed to have recognized it too, because they had crouched down and were crawling on all fours up the steps.

Joining them, I continued to lead the way slowly up the steps. We followed the curving of the staircase around and stopped when we could see the guard and the room behind him. He was leaned up against the wall grumbling to himself about night duty and his lack of sleep. Occasionally he would yawn so big that it seemed to take up his entire face.

I felt fabric brush up against me and turned to see Yasa beside me. She placed a finger to her lips and slowly took out a small paper bag. Don't ask me where it came from because I was pretty sure that skimpy dress didn't have pockets.

Yasa crept quietly up a few more stairs, being careful to keep close to the ground and out of the light. The guard was obviously distracted by his struggle with sleep and his conversation with himself that he didn't notice her until she was almost right in front of him. When he did notice her however, he had barley enough time to stumble up straight and reach for the hilt of his sword before Yasa had stood up, pulled out a pinch of whatever was in that bag and thrown it into his face. The man sneezed as the contents of her bag filled his nose. He blinked sleepily three times before collapsing to the ground with a soft thud. His heavy breathing signified that he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The rest of us straightened up after Yasa had given us a thumbs up and we walked to where she stood. Behind her was a long torch lit corridor lined with doors. The torches were placed in intervals between each iron door.

The doors were solid except for a small rectangular hole filled with bars a few inches from the top. The hole was about eye level for me and I looked into the closest cell. It was too dark to see anything so I lit a small flame on my hand and held it close to the opening. With the light from my palm I could see a woman in tattered clothing curled up on the cold floor. I studied her face but didn't recognize it so I moved onto the next cell.

Zuko was mimicking my actions on the other row of cells. Those of Mimi's group who were tall enough had each taken a torch from it's rusting handle and were looking into other cells. The two who weren't tall enough, Ashi and Taz, had turned over the guard's body and were checking it for keys.

The row of cells was long and seemed endless, but eventually I came across something I recognized. In one of the cells sleeping with her arms wrapped protectively around her knees was Ty Lee. My heart lept with joy and a small smile found its way across my face. I hadn't seen Ty Lee in so long. Ever since she had been thrown in jail for protecting Mai from Azula I had been worried about them. Although she could get really perky and girly sometimes she and Mai had been my only real friends for a long time. She was wearing an outfit similar to what the prisoners of the Boiling Rock wore. The light was bad but I think it was some shade of gray.

"I found Ty Lee," I said just loud enough for the others to hear me. "Keep looking for Mai." I saw Zuko nod and then get back to his searching. Taz scampered up to me with a ring of what looked like a million keys with her brother close behind her.

I sighed at the sight of the keys. "Do I really need to try every one of them?" I said mostly to myself but was answered by Ashi.

"I don't think so," he said grabbing the key from his little sister who had been craning her neck to try to see into the cell. "Put the light closer to the key hole." I did as he asked, and he squinted at the hole for along time, examining it thoroughly. Then he turned to the key ring and shifted quickly through the keys.

"It's one of these," he said as he held out three small, slender keys. I thanked him and tried the first one with no luck. The second one however produced better results and the lock opened with a soft click.

I heaved the heavy door open and stepped into Ty Lee's cell. She looked so sad curled up like that, not like her usual perky self. I laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her softly.

"Ty Lee," I whispered, "it's time to wake up."

"I'm not hungry," she said groggily as she started to stir.

"You need to get up Lee. This isn't about food." My voice was soft but urgent. She begrudgingly rolled over and sat up. Whipping the sleep from her eyes she yawned widely and then she caught sight of me.

"Kimi?!" She screeched clenching her hands by her face in a typical Ty Lee manner. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I whispered, "but you have to keep quiet we don't want to be caught."

"But what are you _doing_ here?" Ty Lee seemed somehow able to carry the squeaky high pitched noise into her whisper. "If Azula finds you she'll put you in here too!"

"I'm not working for Azula anymore," I explained. "I joined the Avatar and intend to help him take down Ozi." I liked not having to use his title anymore. He didn't deserve it anyways. "You don't have to help us if you don't want to, but we're getting you out of here either way."

"Are you _kidding _me? Of course I want to help. Without Azula I can finally go back to the circus and be happy again." I smiled and remembered how she took pride in being called a circus freak. Azula had pulled her out of what she loved to do and forced her to help hunt down the Avatar. And Azula expected us to call ourselves her friends?

"Come on," I said offering my hand, "let's get out of here." I helped her to her feet and we exited the cell. Another cell door had been opened a few doors down and it looked like Zuko was talking to someone inside. It was probably Mai.

Before I could walk towards them however I heard an alarm sound high above us and the sound of doors opening and feet pounding against the ground.

A/N: Wooo! Sorry it took so long guys. I've been busy. Well I'm going to go to bed now. I'll edit it in the morning. Please review!


	10. Chapter 10: Confrontations

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 10: Confrontations

I whirled around, all my senses suddenly on red alert. Zuko ran out of the other cell followed by Mai. Our little group took a split second to look at each other in shock before we ran towards the stairs. We reached them within seconds and charged down the staircase. I didn't even turn around when I heard the awful crunching sound from the unconscious guard's arm when I stepped on it.

The guards feet sounded above us, but I highly doubted that ours was the only staircase in the building. Sure enough, when we reached the bottom of the stairs guards were already rushing toward the staircase.

I pushed to the front of our group and jumped over the remaining five stairs kicking flames at the guards below. Taken by surprise most of the guards were thrown backwards but about five remained. The five simultaneously shot waves of fire towards us. Suddenly Zuko was beside me and the two of us made a wall of fire to block the guard's blasts. Before they had a chance to attack again I sent a blast of white fire at the guard in the middle. It hit him straight in the chest and he was knocked into the unlit corridor that we had originally arrived through.

The remaining guards filled his place and the guards that I had knocked back were charging back. Ty Lee flipped over me and towards the four guards who sent blasts of fire at her. She nimbly dodged them, flipping and jumping closer and closer. She landed behind them and before they could turn around she poked and prodded the two middle ones until they lay unmoving on the ground. The remaining two sent more fire at her which she jumped over at the last second.

Being so focused on the young acrobat they didn't notice me until I was behind the one on the left. I blasted fire at him before he could turn around. The close proximity had sent him flying towards the other man. The guard I hit knocked over the guard behind him. Blood seeped from the wound that I had dealt the unfortunate man as the last of the five guards pushed his comrade off of him and jumped to his feet. Before he could do anything, however, he was stopped by a jab from Ty Lee and fell to the floor, paralyzed.

Meanwhile Ashi had thrown his last four sleep bomb at the guards approaching from the right and the rest of our team was fighting the guards approaching from the left.

"Let's go!" I yelled to let them know that Ty Lee and I had cleared a path. We all knew that we couldn't fight off all the guards by ourselves so we ran out through the way we came in. Zuko and I brought up the rear, deflecting the fire that continued to be thrown at us. We passed the guard I had killed but the other three had gone. They were probably the ones who sounded the alarm, I thought.

When we were all out of the building Ashi threw a bomb through the doorway. It exploded on impact and the walls of the dark corridor collapsed on itself making it impossible for the guards to follow us. We ran back into the surrounding wilderness and made our way back to the Fire Lord's vacation house.

* * *

The sun was just coming up as we snuck through town. The streets were empty and free of any drunken men this time, but we were still carful to keep quiet and out of sight. We arrived at the beach house right when the sun cleared the mountains. Taz had fallen asleep and Mimi was carrying her on her back. I stifled a yawn myself and was looking forward to lying down and maybe getting a little of the sleep I had lost that night.

When we opened the door, Sokka was waiting for us with his arms folded and his foot tapping. I heard Zuko clear his throat guiltily behind me as we all stopped walking.

"So," said Sokka, "I thought we had agreed that it was too risky to try to break Ty Lee and Mai out of jail? Yet, here they are free and in our house. Care to explain?" Sokka said to all of us but his eyes were mainly on Zuko.

"Well, while you guys talk I'm going to get Taz up to bed." Mimi said. She headed up the stairs and with a quick look at Sokka and Zuko the rest of the Tempest Troup went with her. With a sigh I made my way over to the closest chair and plopped myself into it. Mai and Ty Lee joined me while the two boys remained standing staring each other down.

"You do realize that you have put this whole mission in jeopardy right?" Sokka was the first to break the angry silence that filled the room.

"I know full well the consequences of my actions," Zuko responded, crossing his arms over his chest to mirror his opponent. "Just like you knew when we went to save your father."

"That was different," Sokka said defensively. His arms fell to his sides and his hands balled into fists.

"How?" Zuko's question pierced the air like a sword.

"Because… back then we didn't have a plan. Now we do and it involves staying bellow the radar and keeping the size of our group a secret. The Fire Nation knows that you've joined us and now they know that Kimi and her sister's group have joined as well. Not to mention-"

"If it was Katara or Suki would you have done the same?" I cut him off. His lecturing was starting to get on my nerves and the fact that I just wanted to sleep added to my annoyance.

"Well, yes but-" Sokka started again.

"Well nothing," I stood up and stared at him looked straight at him, "Mai and Ty Lee are our friends, they are just like family so they are just as worth saving as your sister or girlfriend." I left and climbed the stairs frustrated and tired. I may have been used to working at night but I would always get time to sleep in the morning and until I got that I was cranky.

When I entered my room Mimi was already asleep in the extra mattress we had found in the storage room. I kicked off my boots, put my glasses on the bedside table, and collapsed onto the overly adorned canopy bed.

* * *

A flickering candle was the only light in the room. It illuminated an old mirror that was rested atop the desk I was seated at. The only thing I could really see in the dim light was the mirror and the reflection of my face. I squinted at the mirror, trying to see as much as I could. I had always hated the dark. You could never tell where everything was and who was looking just out of eyesight. It made me feel week and vulnerable, and those were two emotions that I couldn't stand.

As I was squinting at the mirror someone came out of the darkness. She was standing right behind me, but I didn't look over my shoulder. I knew it was impossible for her to be here, and I was afraid if I saw her without the protection of the glass between us she would fall to pieces.

"Kimi," said my dead mother, "what has become of you?"

"Mom?" my voice cracked and I could feel my heart soar. "Is that really you?" I clutched the edge of the desk in anticipation. This was so impossible, but the one thing I wanted right now was for my mother to hold me and tell me everything would be okay. Unfortunately, I didn't get my wish.

"I am so disappointed in you Kimi." My mother's voice cut my cold and untouchable heart. "You have become the monster that I had always denied. I should have listened to the elders. They were right about you. There is nothing that can come out of fire besides death and destruction."

"Mom!" my voice was week and pleading. How could this happen? I had guarded my heart so well, so I could never feel like this again. And yet, I could feel my heart breaking more with every word out of my mother's disapproving mouth. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped in surprise and looked quickly over my shoulder. There was my mom again, with a sad smile on her face.

"It's okay dear," she said, "you were faced with some hard choices, but you fought through, and in the end you showed who you truly are. And that is all that matters." I looked at her in confusion. How had she changed her mood so quickly?

"Yes, you showed who you truly are, a monster and a murderer." I looked back at the mirror to see the reflection of my mother glaring at me with cold indifference.

"You had no choice honey, but you found yourself in the end." I looked back at the mother that was holding my shoulder.

"You should have found some other way. You're smart. You didn't have to kill all those people, but you did."

"Everyone goes through some rough times in their life, but you made it through without giving yourself up."

"You wanted to kill those people didn't you? Why wouldn't you? You're a firebender that's what they do right? The burn and they take. That is all you can do."

"You are my daughter and I'm proud of you. Firebending is more than burning and destruction. It's heat and light."

"You are nothing, but a monster. The sooner you admit that the sooner you can get rid of these absurd fantasies of being worth anything."

"STOP!" I shrieked and then I found myself sweating and gripping my bed covers in fear.

* * *

"What's wrong?" asked a worried and very groggy Mimi. I looked around the room, closed my eyes, and let out a long breath.

"Nothing," I said calmly, "just a bad dream. Go back to sleep."

"Are you sure?" Mimi asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "If you want to talk about it-"

"No, no I'm fine. I just need to get some fresh air. I'll be fine." I swung my legs over my bed as I said this and began to walk out of our room.

"Okay, but I'm here if you need me," she said stifling a yawn. She turned back over and fell back to sleep almost immediately. I smiled at my sister then stepped into the hallway. I leaned against the wall and let out a sigh. That dream had really shaken me, but I needed to pull myself together if I was going to get through the day. I couldn't afford to waist time feeling sorry for myself or to be distracted by my conscience. We were attacking the palace in a few days and would have to kill more people if we were ever going to win this war. War was about sacrificing your own piece of mind for your cause and I had to remember that.

* * *

Everyone seemed quite surprised to see Mai and Ty Lee, but they all accepted them pretty easily. The biggest problem had been Sokka's disapproval when we had first come back, but he got over himself and quickly filled them in on our plan. Kori and Mai hit it off right away. They were always together talking about the uselessness of the world and how boring life was. Ty Lee and Yasa also seemed to get along quite well and could be seen talking about makeup and boys in the room they shared.

I was glad that everyone seemed to be getting along great, except of course Katara and Zuko. You could count on a loud fight from then first thing in the morning and a few other times throughout the rest of the day. I felt bad for Zuko, but I knew he had to work it out on his own, and from what I had heard, he didn't have much of a chance to make up with her. I hoped they would be able to put their differences aside for one day when we attacked to palace.

I was going to my room to look for Mimi. Katara had just made lunch and we couldn't find my sister and one of the twins, Yaku I think. I walked into my room, took one look, and walked right out. I had found Mimi and Yaku, but they didn't look like they wanted to be disturbed right then. They were kind of busy making out, and I didn't want to make it awkward by announcing lunch.

I smiled to myself. I was glad that Mimi had found someone, and Yaku seemed nice. Of course he and his brother had been some of the kids that had tormented me when I was younger, but people change. I was walking back down to tell the others that Mimi and Yaku would be down when they were ready when I ran into Yaku's twin.

"Oh," he said, "it's you. Did you find them?" There was bitterness in his voice that I hadn't been expecting.

"Yes, I did but they were a little busy so I though I'd leave them alone for now." I responded. He nodded, gave me a look of disgust then turned to leave.

"What's your problem?" I asked postponing his exit.

"You are," he responded. He turned around and gave me a look of pure loathing before continuing. "You really are just what the elders said you are. You are a no good murderer with no regard to human life what so ever." He spat at my feet. "You just killed that guard without a second thought. He had no chance to fight back or defend himself. You just killed him!"

"Of course I killed him," I said. "He was the enemy and this is a war. In war you can't afford to spare lives. You have to kill them if you don't want them to kill you."

"I know this is a war, but that doesn't mean everyone has to die. You can just knock them out or incapacitate them. You don't have to take their life!" His hands were balled up at his side, and I could see the anger and disappointment in his eyes that reminded me all to well of my recent dream. Anger bubbled up inside of me as I glared back into his blue eyes. How dare he; how dare he judge me like that when he knew nothing. He thought he was so wonderful and good, because he had kept his hands cleaned, well what did he know? What did he know about me and what I had gone through?!

"Do you want to win this war?" I asked. My voice was dangerously low and I could feel my hands shaking at my side. I had had too many people judging me today. I couldn't argue with my mother in my dream, but I could yell at this naïve moron. So before he could respond to my previous question I fired another question his way. "Do you want the Fire Nation to keep killing people? Do you want your people to stay in hiding forever?" My voice began to rise as I continued. "No, I don't think you do. So what are you going to do about it?! Are you going to keep messing with their food and supplies? Oh that's a wonderful way to annoy them and keep your conscience clean. What are you five?! This is war not play time! You can't win without getting your hands dirty and if that is too hard for you then you better leave now before you mess up your perfect life!"

"You think you're so great?! You just go around with your firebending killing people and calling it justice! Well, what about you mom?!" He cut into my rant and marched closer to me until he was inches in front of my face.

"What did you say?!" I shrieked at him, feeling my anger beginning to boil over.

"I said what about your mom?" His voice lowered to the level mine had started in. "You killed her; what do you call that?" And that was it. I couldn't take it anymore. My fist flew up almost of its own accord and I hit Soku across the face with all my strength and anger. He fell to the ground, clutching his nose. He looked shocked for a split second, and then he jumped up and pulled out his sword. I brought up my fist again, this time planning to shoot a nasty blast of fire at him when my arms grabbed by someone behind.

"STOP!" Mimi pulled me back from Soku just as his brother jumped in front of him.

A/N: Sorry it's so late, but I've been veeeeeeeeeeeeery busy. I tried to work on this as much as possible but when ever I sat down I had like two seconds before I had to do something else. So sorry and I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner, but I'm still really busy and can't make any promises. Please review! Also if you're curious about how some of the characters look I have links on my profile of pictures that I've drawn.


	11. Chapter 11: Preparations

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.

Chapter 11: Preparations

He was so lucky. Two seconds more and he would have been crumpled in a ball on the floor begging for mercy. Mimi and Yaku had gotten there just in time to stop me from beating Soku into a bloody pulp. _He had no idea_, I thought as I glared at him over my lunch. _Stupid, cocky moron_. I was so glad we were going to be in two separate places when we attacked the palace.

I could sense the tension at the table. Barely anyone spoke, and when they did their idle chatter was quite obviously fake and forced. Tonight was the night of the full moon, and tonight we were putting everything on the line for one final attack on the Fire Nation. Everyone was picking at there food and getting yelled at by Katara for not eating. She kept saying that we needed our energy and we better eat all the food on our plate.

Sokka cleared his throat and the scattered chatter ended almost immediately. He looked around the table sadly, and I could tell what he was about to say was very hard for him to put into words. I put down my bowl and looked expectantly at the young warrior just like the rest of the kids at the table.

"Well, there is no sense in denying it anymore," he finally said, "It looks like the rest of our group isn't going to make it. They wouldn't have taken this long if nothing was wrong," He paused again before saying what was on everyone's mind. "They have probably been captured, or worse. It looks like we're the only ones left."

A silence passed around the table as everyone nodded or looked at their bowl. This was it. We were going in there alone, only a group of fifteen children against the most powerful army in the world. Although we did have a plan and a few tricks up our sleeves, the odds still weren't too pretty.

* * *

After lunch, I went out to the courtyard to practice. I couldn't just sit around and wait for our attack; I had to do something. We would be leaving soon. Those of us who were going to be attacking the palace were going on Appa. The others who were attacking the prison were going to purchase tickets for the boat that took people from the island to the mainland. Mai and Ty Lee had decided to accompany the group attacking the prison because they knew a secret entrance that only those who ran prisons knew. Mai's uncle had told her about it when she was younger and she was determined to help as much as possible. It was slightly unnerving knowing how close we were to the palace.

I closed my eyes and slowly let out a breath of smoke. Wiping some sweat off my brow I headed inside. I had to find Mimi. We had been separated for ten years and I had to see my sister before the battle, just in case it was the last time I saw her.

I found her in our room sitting on her bed and crying. She was curled in a ball with her head on her knees shuttering slightly. I instantly sat next to the crying airbender and put an arm around her back to comfort her. She jumped slightly and looked up at me with surprise.

"Oh, hi Kim," she said hastily wiping tears from her eyes. "I was just thinking."

"I know," I said giving her my best reassuring smile. I wonder if she could tell it was fake. "It's okay to be scared. I know I'm scared out of my mind, but we'll get through this."

"You think so?" Mimi's big grey eyes looked up at me and I felt the helplessness I always felt when she cried. Mimi had always been an emotional person and I had always been very unemotional. Mom had always dried Mimi's tears in the past. She always knew the right things to say and do. I felt a pang of sadness. I missed her so much. She would know what to do now, but she wasn't here.

"Yeah the Fire Nation may have the numbers, but we have something more. We have something worth fighting for; something we are willing to sacrifice anything for. The Fire Nation soldiers don't have that. All they have are orders. They have no real reason. We'll make it through this, and bring peace to the world again. It's been over 100 years. It's about time this war ended, don't you think so?"

She nodded and the two of us hugged tightly. As we sat on her bed embracing I felt fear stronger then I had ever experienced before. I was afraid I would lose her. I was afraid that after the fight I would never see my sister again. One of us could very well die tonight and I wanted to make sure that I never forgot her.

I pulled away from the embrace and started to take off my boot. Mimi looked at me, confused. I removed my boot to reveal a small bracelet tied around my ankle. I slipped it off and held it up to Mimi.

"Do you remember this?" I asked her.

She smiled widely and replied, "Is that the bracelet I made for you on our fifth birthday?"

I nodded. "The very one," I said smiling back at her. It was just a simple piece of twine with three faded yellow beads threaded through it, but it was the one thing that I had kept from my old life.

"I can't believe you still have it," Mimi said.

"Yeah," I looked at the insignificant looking piece of jewelry and then handed it to my sister. "Here," I said "will you hold onto this for me? After the fight is over you can give it back, okay?"

"But what if we don't-"

"We will see each other again. That's a promise," I said cutting her off. "Okay?" I asked handing her the ankle bracelet.

"Okay." She took it and slipped it onto her ankle.

We were interrupted by a light knocking. We turned around to see Yaku standing in the doorway.

"May I borrow Mimi for a while?" he asked. I smiled and got up.

"Sure," I said. I stood up and walked towards the doorway. "I'll give you two some privacy." I said, before turning and winking at Mimi. She looked slightly surprised. She probably didn't know I knew about the two of them. I closed the door on the Yaku and Mimi hugging. Later I was to find out that Yaku had asked my sister to marry him after the battle, if everything went well.

* * *

The ride on Appa was silent. Aang was concentrating on keeping up our cloud cover and the rest of us were deep in thought. Toph was gripping Appa's saddle with more force then normal and Sokka and Suki were huddled together holding onto what might be their last moments. Although on opposite sides of the bison I noticed that Zuko and Katara kept shooting glances at each other. Katara would always look away with an annoyed huff, but I could tell there was something else hidden under her hatred.

We landed just as the sky was beginning to change into the bright colors of a sunset. Unfortunately we were unable to enjoy it because we had to follow Toph underground. We knew this was the only way to get close enough to the castle without getting killed instantly. The only light was from Zuko's and my palms and the only sound was Toph and Aang's earthbending.

I wondered if the others had made it off the boat yet and how close they were to the prison. I hoped Mimi and everyone else would be okay. We silently made our way as close to the palace as we could. We had gotten past the gate and were under the ground to the side of the castle. Toph said it was safe, so she and Aang quickly dug their way to the top and we made it out into the cool night air. We positioned ourselves to we could see the prison, but could still take refuge under ground if we needed to.

We waited silently for the signal to attack.

A/N: Woot! Another chapter! Sorry this one's so short, but the next chapter is the big battle scene and I needed to end it before then. Hope you liked it. Please Review!!


	12. Chapter 12: One Last Fight

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender; I only own my characters.

Chapter 12: One Last Fight

The boat ride to the main land was pretty uneventful if not nerve racking. The travelers had disguised themselves as Fire Nation travelers, but everyone was still paranoid. Every person that happened to look their way was automatically suspicious and every friendly conversation seemed to be a trick to make them reveal their mission.

Eventually the ride was over and Mai, Ty Lee, and the Tempest Troup made their way to the palace's prison. They made their way through the streets as casually as possible. Just as the sun began to set the group made their way off the civilized streets and cut their way through the forest at the edge of town.

When they got close enough to the prison Ashi was sent ahead again, to see if the coast was clear.

"There are three guys with bows and arrows guarding the entrance," Ashi announced after he came back.

"Let me see," Kori shouldered her own bow and followed Ashi up the tree. The two warriors crept silently and carefully towards the top. Peeking through the tree leaves, Kori saw the three men that Ashi had mentioned. The men were dressed in browns and grays, so they could easily blend into the forest around them. The traditional red of the Fire Nation was painted around their eyes to give them a more savage look.

Kori and Ashi climbed down the tree and addressed the rest of their party waiting below.

"It's the Yu Yan Archers," Kori informed the rest of her group. "They are the most skilled archers in the Fire Nation and like Ashi said there are three." They party looked at each other. They all knew of the Yu Yan Archers and what they could do. Getting past them would be far from easy. "Their leader is with them. He's the one closest to the entrance."

"They must have tightened security recently," Mai said in her normal monotone voice.

"They probably tightened it after the recent prison breaks," Mimi added. "Ashi, did you make any more of those sleep bombs?"

"No, but I do have some smoke ones. That way they won't be able to see us as well," Ashi answered.

"Yeah, but then they'll know that we're here," Ty Lee piped in.

"Isn't that what we want?" Kori asked. "Don't we want to draw as many soldiers here as possible so the others have a clear line to the Fire Lord?"

"Yeah, but we don't want to be dead before we even enter the prison." Nasu commented.

"The Yu Yan are good, but I doubt they will be able to see through the smoke. Even if they do fire at you they will be shooting blindly," Kori said. "If it makes you feel any better I'll draw their fire. Before you start to head in, I'll fire at the guards so they'll be more focused on me then you. I'll see if I can immobilize them while I'm at it."

"That sounds good," Mimi said, "but Kori, make sure you let one go so he can send the alarm." Kori nodded and began to ascend the tree with Ashi once more. Ashi pulled a smoke bomb out of his pocket while Kori prepared her bow. With a signal from Mimi Ashi threw the bomb into the center of the path to the entrance. Kori waited a second for the archers to respond to the smoke and then began to fire. She took carful aim and went after the leader first.

She immobilized him quickly with his own technique. She pinned him to the wall with her swift arrows. The other two shot their own arrows towards her, but she had already climbed up two branches. The rest of her group sprinted toward the secret entrance as soon as the archers set their attention on Kori.

She made quick work on the second archer and pinned him next to his leader. Using her last two arrows Kori pinned the last archer's bow to the ground at his feet. Unarmed the last archer ran off and disappeared around the other side of the prison. Kori quickly made her way down the tree and ran across the path that was now nearly void of smoke. Before she joined her friends in the prison she walked up to the trapped archers.

"Kori?" the leader asked astonished. "Is that you?"

"Yes," she responded.

"What are you doing, daughter?" His voice suddenly became stern and accusing. "Is this where you have run away to? Are you forgetting everything that I and the Fire Nation have done for you?"

"Yeah, and what about all those other people the Fire Nation 'helped'? They have nothing bad to say about the Fire Nation do they? Well, they have nothing much to say at all, do they? Thanks for teaching me archery dad." With that Kori hit her father with her bow so that his head banged back onto the stone wall behind him and he lost his consciousness. Kori did the same to the other archer and then took all the remaining arrows in the Yu Yan Archers' packs and transferred them into her own.

* * *

Kori joined the rest of her group to find three guards asleep and two others tied up and locked in one of the cells they had so recently been guarding. In their place unchanged and free stood Hakoda and the rest of the party that had said they'd meet up at Ember Island. Mai held the stolen keys and was searching for the key to the next cell. The alarm cut through the silence, making the newly freed prisoners jump.

"We should get out of here quickly. Soon this place will be filled with guards," Hakoda said heading towards the door Kori had just entered through.

"That's the point sir." Mimi said "I suggest you take these guards' weapons, you're going to need them. Mai try to free as many soldiers as you can, we'll need all the help we can get."

"What are you talking about?" The Duke piped up. "Why are we staying here when we know we can't win?" Mimi checked quickly to make sure all the guards were still knocked out before responding.

"We're not here to win. We're here to hold them off while the Avatar's group invades the palace. Kori, go back outside and alert us when the reinforcements come. The rest of you get ready to fight. We are going farther in to get more reinforcements." Everyone nodded. The escaped prisoners took the unconscious guards' weapons and Kori went back outside to watch for the reinforcements.

"How are the others?"Hakoda whispered as they crept through the torch lit corridor. "Are Sokka and Katara okay?" Mimi nodded and put her finger to her lips. They had reached a turn in the corridor. Mai pushed to the front. She pulled out one of her many knives and cautiously peeked around the corner.

Two guards, swords drawn, stood at the entrance of another cell. They must have heard the alarm and were waiting for the infiltrators to appear. The guard farther from Mai saw her first. Mai took that split second of recognition to her advantage and threw the knife in her hand towards him. The knife succeeded in pinning the guard's left hand to the stone wall, but the other guard had seen them and charged towards Mai swinging his sword. Mai began to throw more knives at the man, but he skillfully deflected the missiles with his sword. When the guard was inches from Mai, Hakoda jumped out and met the guard's sword with his stolen one. The two of them became engaged in a fierce sword fight.

Meanwhile the first guard had freed himself from Mia's knife and charged towards her. His left hand hung bloody and useless at his side, but he cut Mai's knives out of the air with his right hand quite easily. Ty Lee cart-wheeled to Mai's aid and began to try to jab at the man's pressure points. He was so busy swinging at Mai's knives and Ty Lee's advances that he didn't notice Taz sneaking up behind him. She quickly grabbed his injured hand and, as he yelped in pain, threw him to the floor. Ty Lee took this moment to jump down and deliver a few well aimed jabs at his pressure points. The man's sword was quickly taken and thrown to Chit Sang who was still in his prison clothes from the last prison he was held at.

With one guard down the three girls turned their attention to the second one. Mimi had evidently sent him crashing against the wall with her bending because he lay crumpled on the floor eyes closed and head bleeding. The Duke had taken the keys from Mai earlier and now was working on the cell door. Soon they heard a click and the door swung open to reveal six prisoners chained to the walls. Haru was among the six, and his face lit up when he saw The Duke entering the cell.

"Hey how'd you get out?" Haru asked as The Duke began to work on his shackles.

"This group of people attacked the men guarding us and let us out. They are calling themselves the Tempest Troup." The Duke replied as he tried yet another key. "Stupid name if you ask me. It's supposed to be because their leader is an airbender, but I still think they could have been more creative. I mean 'The Freedom Fighters' was clever and catchy. Maybe we should help them with their name when we get out of here." The key clicked.

"Wait, did you say their leader was an airbender?" Haru asked rubbing his now free wrists. "Isn't Aang supposed to be the last one?"

"Apparently not," finished with Haru, The Duke began to try and free his neighbor. "Say, why were you put in here instead of the cell in the cage with us?"

"We're all earthbenders in here," said the women whom The Duke was trying to free. "They can't put us in regular cages because they know we'll get out."

"You should really get out of here," came a man's voice from across the room. "The alarm has been sounded and reinforcements will be here any minute. Take the ones you have already freed and save yourselves. There is no use in all of us getting captured." There was a click and Haru's neighbor was set free.

"We aren't here to run," The Duke said moving to the man who was on Haru's other side. "The Tempest Troup rescued us so we could help them draw out as many soldiers as we could from the palace so a second group could bring down the Fire Lord." Another click signaled the freedom of another earthbender.

Haru nodded. "We'll set you free, but whether you run or fight is up to you. I'm staying. What about the rest of you." Haru asked the room.

"Well, I'm staying," said the newly freed women. The man standing next to her smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Let's show these Fire Benders that The Earth Kingdom is a force to be reckoned with!" came a cry from one of the men still chained to the wall there was a chorus of replies as everyone agreed to fight. With another click the forth bender was freed.

The man whom had spoken earlier chuckled. "If it means an end to this accursed war, I'm in." The sound of many feet could be heard coming swiftly towards the warriors and those freed ran outside the cell as Mimi's voice called everyone to get ready. It was now time to either fight or die.

* * *

While the rest of the team had been freeing prisoners Kori had snuck back outside to keep watch. She had run back towards the forest and back up the tree she had started in. From there she had quite a good view of both the prison and the castle. Before she left she had grabbed one of the many torches that had adorned the walls of the prison, and now she was taking special care to cover the flame so it wouldn't give away her position. She would have doused it but she needed the fire to signal the Avatar's group when they were ready.

It didn't take too for the message to reach the castle that there was a break in at the prison. Soon many soldiers and guards came running towards the prison. The men surrounded the prison and charged through all the entrances. Kori waited for the last soldier to enter the prison before pulling a special arrow out of her quiver. Instead of a point the arrow had an end that could easily catch fire. Kori lit the end and then pointed the arrow up at the sky and shot. The fire arched brightly over the prison

Her job done, Kori quickly climbed down her tree and ran towards the prison to help her friends with the upcoming fight.

* * *

"There's the signal," came Katara's voice from my left.

"They must have made it to the prison," I said.

"Well, this is it," Sokka came out of his crouch and crawled out of our hole. "Let's go." Like wolf-bats we crawled out of hiding and ran towards the palace. Under the light of the full moon the seven of us ran towards my old home and the fight of our lives.

A/N: Well here's another chapter! Hope you like it, and please Review!!


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